Katharine Ross

Katharine Ross Biography

Katharine Ross was born in Hollywood, California on January 29, 1940. Her father was in the US Navy and was away when she was born. His navy career shuttled the family around to Virginia, then Palo Alto and finally to Walnut Creek, outside of San Francisco, where Ross grew up. She graduated from Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek in 1957 and attended Diablo Valley College in the Bay Area, where she took part in her first onscreen work in a student film. Moving to San Francisco, into an apartment on Stockton Street above a grocery store, she began her acting career as an understudy in Actors Workshop productions, and was soon auditioning for roles. Work came quickly for Ross, at first mainly in television westerns, and indeed Westerns would make up the majority of her best-known work, her natural beauty being a strong asset in that genre. Her first film role was in the Civil War era Shenandoah (1965) starring James Stewart . Rosss career as a leading actress began in earnest in 1967, with her strong turn co-starring with James Caan and Simone Signoret in Games (1967), and with The Graduate (1967). Despite being nearly a decade older than her character, Rosss performance as Elaine earned her a Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. A disappointing, formulaic John Wayne vehicle, Hellfighters (1968), followed but she soon returned to form with two films with Robert Redford . As Etta Place in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Ross was part of the most memorable scene from that hit film, precariously perched barefoot on the bumper of that newfangled contraption, the bicycle, as Paul Newman s Butch Cassidy takes her for a ride. The compelling Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969) was less of a box office success but more highly regarded by the critics, and Ross won a BAFTA Award for her work as Lola, a Paiute Indian who flees with her boyfriend, played by Robert Blake , after he kills her father in self-defense. Swept up into a whirlwind of fame, widely idealized as the symbol of beauty for the Woodstock generation, Ross had accomplished so much so quickly that it seemed her entire career had happened almost all at once, in that frenzy of activity between 1967 and 1969. Sure enough, there followed a long dry spell in which she was mostly cast in forgettable roles; her next strong film wasnt for another six years. In The Stepford Wives (1975), an intriguing black comedy-cum-horror film, Ross plays a independent, free-spirited wife newly relocated to a suburb where the other wives all seem to be just a little too perfect, too submissive; it was arguably her strongest performance to date, but Stepford Wives would prove to be but a temporary resurgence for Ross, and her work in the decade and a half to follow would include such star-studded duds as The Betsy (1978), and a return to TV, including a part in primetime soap opera "The Colbys" (1985). Along the way, however, Ross found love. After four failed marriages, she met fifth husband Sam Elliott while working on The Legacy (1978). The two actors married in 1984. That September, four months before her 45th birthday, Ross gave birth to her only child, daughter Cleo. In 1991, Ross and Elliott adapted the Louis LAmour novel Conagher (1991) for television in a remarkably affecting Western tale which showcases both actors remarkable talents. Ross continues to take roles on occasion and, as usual, her work is strong -- something that was sometimes overlooked in her youth due to her famous beauty. For instance, Ross turned up in Donnie Darko (2001), in a solid performance as Donnies psychiatrist. Ross and Elliott live on their ranchito in Malibu.

Katharine Ross Trivia and Facts

Also an accomplished childrens book author, who has written the books "Little Ballerina" and "My Favorite Things".

Her favorite fragrance is "Rive Gauche", by Yves Saint-Laurent.

Gave birth to her daughter, Cleo Rose Elliott, with Sam Elliott , on 17 September 1984 (4 months before Katharines 45th birthday).

Her father was in the Navy when she was born.

Has lived in Malibu, CA since the late 1960s.

Has remained good friends with Dustin Hoffman , her co-star from The Graduate (1967).

Was only 8 years younger than Anne Bancroft , who played her mother in The Graduate (1967).

Was at one point going to star in Follow Me! (1972).

Both she and husband Sam Elliot appeared in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) , although they had no scenes together and did not meet until 1978. Elliot, had a bit part as a card player in the opening scene, while Ross portrayed Etta Place, the female lead role, along side male leads Robert Redford and Paul Newman .

Katharine Ross (born January 1940) is only 9 years and 5 months younger than Vera Miles (born August 1930), who portrayed her mother in Hellfighters (1968).

Arguably the three best known roles of her career were consecutive roles in consecutive years, The Graduate (1967) , Hellfighters (1968) , and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969).

Ross married cinematographer Conrad L. Hall the year Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969) were released. Both movies featured Ross and were filmed by Hall. Ross would later marry Sam Elliott who made his feature debut in Butch Cassidy.

Katharine Ross Quotes

[in 1974, about a film she shot in France, Le hasard et la violence (1974) ] What the hell, I got a trip to the French Riviera out of it. It was shot in Nice. I have no idea how good it is. I spoke English and [Yves Montand ] spoke French and the whole thing was dubbed.

[on meeting The Graduate" co-star, Dustin Hoffman ] He looked about three feet tall, so dead, serious, so humorless, so unkempt. [I thought] this is going to be a disaster.